Cinder Wall MTG Card
1997-06-09 - Number 94
2003-07-28 - Number 182
2003-07-28 - Number 182★
2011-04-01 - Number 48
2014-06-06 - Number 140
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Wall |
| Abilities | Defender |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Cinder Wall provides solid defense and deters early game attacks, indirectly maintaining your card advantage.
- Its one red mana cost allows for efficient resource allocation, potentially ramping up to bigger plays sooner.
- Despite deck restrictions and potential inflexibility, its defensive utility adds value, especially against aggressive decks.
Text of card
If Cinder Wall blocks, destroy it at end of combat.
"Easy. All ya gotta do is push somebody into it." —Squee, goblin cabin hand, scouting report
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Cinder Wall itself doesn’t directly give you card advantage, it acts as an efficient defensive measure. Its presence can deter opponents from attacking, indirectly preserving your hand by minimizing the need for reactive spells.
Resource Acceleration: Cinder Wall doesn’t accelerate resources in terms of mana production, but it represents a low-cost investment at just one red mana. This allows players to allocate resources elsewhere, ramping up to more impactful plays sooner.
Instant Speed: Though Cinder Wall is a creature card played at sorcery speed, it synergizes well with instant speed burn spells. It can buy time, forcing your opponent to commit more resources to the board, which you can then decimate with instants during their turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Cinder Wall requires a strategy centered around discarding. If your deck isn’t built to leverage or mitigate the discard, Cinder Wall can become more of a liability than an asset.
Specific Mana Cost: The Cinder Wall card needs an exact red mana to cast. This can restrict its use in multi-color decks that may not always have the necessary red mana available when needed.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you consider the utility and defensive capabilities of other one-drop creatures, Cinder Wall’s single red mana cost might seem steep for a creature with defender that can’t attack. This makes it less versatile in aggressive strategies that value the ability to switch roles from defense to offense.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Cinder Wall serves as an excellent defense mechanism for various deck builds. With its ability to block and deal damage to attacking creatures, it can be a cost-effective way to protect your life points, especially in red decks that might lack in early creature defense.
Combo Potential: Cinder Wall’s self-sacrificing nature makes it ideal for synergy with cards that benefit from creatures dying. It can slot into strategies featuring graveyard play or sacrifice triggers, offering multiple uses beyond just its defensive capabilities.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive strategies dominate, having an inexpensive blocker like Cinder Wall can disrupt your opponent’s momentum. It serves as a useful sideboard card against swarms of smaller creatures that aim to overwhelm you in the early stages of the game.
How to beat
Cinder Wall is a unique card within the realm of MTG, offering a defensive barrier with its impressive 3 toughness for just a single red mana. As a defender, Cinder Wall is obliged to block when able, making it a reliable guard against early threats. However, it crumbles upon fulfilling this duty, sacrificing itself after blocking. This self-destructive nature is something players can exploit.
To bypass the stalwart Cinder Wall, strategies include using flying creatures to soar over it or casting spells that can remove it without having to engage in combat. Direct damage spells and enchantments that grant trample to your creatures can also prove effective, ensuring that damage makes it through to your opponent despite the wall’s presence. Additionally, employing removal spells like Shatter or Artifact Mutation that specifically target walls can clear the path for your attacking forces.
When considering your game plan, it’s vital to weigh the value of devoting resources to dealing with Cinder Wall. Sometimes the best course of action is to use those resources to develop your board and let the wall block a less critical creature, allowing your more substantial threats to press on uninterrupted.
Cards like Cinder Wall
Cinder Wall is an intriguing creature card in MTG with a proactive defensive ability. Standing alongside cards like Wall of Wood, which also has a low mana cost for a solid defender, Cinder Wall offers added destructive capability by dealing one damage to each creature it blocks. Unlike Wall of Wood, whose defensive role is passive, Cinder Wall can impact the board by taking down weak attackers.
Exploring further, we meet Guardian of the Ages, another defender, but with a higher mana cost. Its game-changing ability turns it from a mere blocker into a threatening attacker once triggered. Cinder Wall’s ability to damage creatures provides a similar shift in game dynamics, only it is with an immediate effect upon blocking and at a significantly lower cost. Moreover, comparing it to cards like Perimeter Captain offers perspective on varied defender strategies—where Perimeter Captain guards life totals, Cinder Wall actively discourages attacks by posing a risk to the attacking creatures.
When evaluating Cinder Wall’s distinct blend of cost-efficiency and proactive defense strategy, it holds a unique position among creature-based defensive cards in MTG, balancing aggression and protection in a low-cost package.
Cards similar to Cinder Wall by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Cinder Wall MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight and Eighth Edition, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Cinder Wall and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Cinder Wall Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1997-06-09 and 2014-06-06. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997-06-09 | Weatherlight | WTH | 94 | 1997 | normal | black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 2 | 2003-07-28 | Eighth Edition | 8ED | 182 | 2003 | normal | white | Anthony S. Waters | |
| 3 | 2003-07-28 | Eighth Edition | 8ED | 182★ | 2003 | normal | black | Anthony S. Waters | |
| 4 | 2011-04-01 | Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons | DDG | 48 | 2003 | normal | black | Anthony S. Waters | |
| 5 | 2014-06-06 | Conspiracy | CNS | 140 | 2003 | normal | black | Anthony S. Waters |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Cinder Wall has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
